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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25207660">Senki Zesshou Symphogear EX+</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/luunn/pseuds/luunn'>luunn</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Senki Zesshou Symphogear</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, Contains XDU elements, F/F, Featuring AU Characters from your favorite gacha game, Post XV, Post-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:49:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,326</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25207660</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/luunn/pseuds/luunn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Five years after the Yggdrasil Incident, the existence of Relic-based weapons have now become known to the world. As their newfound tranquility only starts to set in, a new threat emerges from the boundaries between worlds. Going by the name Gates of Bifrost, its leader vows to herald a new age for humanity with the complete relic Gjallarhorn in their hands. </p><p>Alternate worlds collide. Timelines meld together, collapsing onto themselves and birthing new paradoxes. In the midst of all this chaos, a pair of young girls are roped into the unfolding mysteries as these seemingly-coincidental events start to invade their lives.</p><p>Endless sorrow or a bright evermorrow — What will those two joined hands bring?</p><p>[Post-XV. Contains XDU elements.]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akatsuki Kirika/Tsukuyomi Shirabe, Kohinata Miku/Tachibana Hibiki, Maria Cadenzavna Eve/Kazanari Tsubasa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Senki Zesshou Symphogear EX+</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Damn, I actually managed to finish this. Special thanks to my friend OverMach for betaing and helping me figure out a lot of things regarding to this lol </p><p>What follows is a continuation of Symphogear, taking place right after XV. Basically my own take on what the “next generation” would be like, or something along those lines. Of course, old characters will make a returning appearance as well. Think of this as the Nanoha StrikerS to, well, the Nanoha series, I guess? </p><p>I feel like XDU had a bunch of criminally underused, cool ideas, and that’s also part of why I’m writing this. If you’ve played the (unfortunately short-lived) NA release, even you should know what the ending scene in this chapter implies. I’m throwing my original ideas into the mix too, but generally you’ll see a lot of these XDU things in the story since I’m basically just a sucker for alternate universes. </p><p>Five whole years have passed since the end of the Yggdrasil Incident, and a lot of things have happened in that span of time. I’ll try to cover that gap with a little “Keywords” section at the end of every chapter, similar to how the series usually does it lol.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"...and thus, the Yggdrasil Incident came to an end. As you all already know, its impact can still be felt even today, most notably on…"</p><p>A girl of European descent with short, platinum blonde hair yawned loudly hearing her teacher's words. The more words came from the instructor's mouth, the more she wanted to just close her eyes and drift off. </p><p>For all she cares, she might as well be listening to a bedtime story from her mother or something.</p><p>Unable to take anymore of this, she slumped on her desk, the bangs covering her right eye swinging along with her movement. Burying her face in her arms, she started to feel her eyelids getting heavy—</p><p>"Clara, wake up. It's too late to sleep now."</p><p>A voice coming from her side woke her up from her journey to the land of dreams.</p><p>She groggily raised her face, turning her brown-colored eyes to the right. Sitting next to her is a girl with long, dark hair. She wore a red hairband, matching the color of her glasses. Her cerulean eyes were fixated on her sleeping friend as a worried smile appeared on her lips. </p><p>"Huh? Whyzzat, Yui?"</p><p>Yui, the girl beside her, sighed. </p><p>“The bell will ring in just a few minutes. You might as well just endure for a little bit longer and sleep at home.”</p><p>Hearing that first sentence, Clara’s long lost vigor somehow mysteriously found its way back into her body. She sat up straight, her face looking refreshed — as if she just woke up from a good night’s sleep.</p><p>Yui couldn’t help but laugh, seeing her friend’s antics.</p><p>At that second, the moment she had been waiting for finally came — the school’s bell chimed, signaling the end of school for today. Clara started stretching her arms, before puffing out her chest in victory — if you could even call surviving a class as victory, that is.</p><p>“Finally! Thought I was gonna die of boredom there,” she says, “It’s always the same stuff they keep going on and on about. The whole Yggdrasil stuff and all that… Come on, we’ve all been there five years ago.” </p><p>“That’s true, but I think that’s why they’ve been constantly reminding us about it.” Yui replied, neatly putting her books inside her bag. “We’re lucky we even managed to survive something like that…”</p><p>Clara froze a bit at that remark. Her expression turned to a small frown, and she nodded slowly. </p><p>“...Yeah. I guess you’re right.” </p><p>Yui blinked anxiously at her reaction. Realizing the effect her words had caused to her friend, she desperately tried to change the topic—</p><p>“B-Besides, lately there’s been a lot of new information being revealed regarding the incident… I guess they just want us to stay up to date, that’s all.”</p><p>“Come on, that’s what the news is for.” A small smile returned on Clara’s lips. “Anyway, forget all that. Are you free today?”</p><p>“Ah, sorry, Ms. Kohinata actually said she would like to meet me after school, so…” </p><p>Yui clapped her hands together, as if to apologize that she couldn’t go along with whatever her friend had planned to do today. </p><p>“Ah, is that so? Too bad, then...” Clara nodded, seeming a bit disappointed. “It’s fine, but you didn’t get into any trouble, did you?”</p><p>“Wha—! Of course not! I’m not you!” Yui pouted, puffing out her cheeks in an almost childish way. “Anyway, I don’t wanna be lectured about this by someone who regularly skips classes.” </p><p>“Heh. Come on, I was just joking. There’s no way such a perfect student like you would ever get in trouble, right? And with Ms. Kohinata, of all people.” She chuckled. “Well, I’ll be going back first, then.” </p><p>“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow. Take care, Clara.”</p><p>The short-haired girl picked up her bag, and started leaving towards the door. She waved a hand at her friend as she continued to walk. </p><p>“Mhm. You too.” </p>
<hr/><p>The platinum-haired girl walked out of the school gates, the schoolbag swung over her back. </p><p>She walked to the right a few steps, passing a sign that read “Lydian Private Music Academy” — the name of the school she goes to. </p><p>...This school has certainly seen better days, she thought. She stopped to look at the sign, barely hanging on. If she didn’t know any better, she’d thought this whole building was an abandoned construction project or something. </p><p>Of course, that doesn’t just apply to Lydian alone, but to almost every building in this city she lived in.</p><p>The Yggdrasil Incident caused innumerable amounts of damage, especially infrastructure wise.</p><p>It has been five years since then, but the reconstruction hasn’t made much progress. It’s understandable, she guesses. It’s hard to rebuild an entire city, let alone an entire country. </p><p>At least what little reconstruction has been done was enough to make most of the buildings usable. That goes for her school too — it’s usable as a school, but barely. </p><p>She sighs. She doesn’t know if it’s lucky or unlucky that the damage wasn’t as bad as what happened to the first Lydian building.</p><p>On one hand, she can still go to school and meet Yui. </p><p>On the other hand, she doesn’t get to go on an extended break like most of the other students.</p><p>...Oh well, no use thinking about that now, she supposes. </p>
<hr/><p>The girl stopped in front of a music store, focusing her attention on a poster that caught her eye. It showed a beautiful blue-haired girl, standing back-to-back with a pink-haired woman who seems to be older than her. </p><p>“New single now available… Tsubasa Kazanari feat. Maria Cadanz-.” </p><p>Clara tried her best to read the words under her breath, but the alien sounding word that was the second girl’s middle name caused her to give up. </p><p>Still, those faces and names sounded strangely familiar to her… </p><p>
  <em> "Ah, right. I think one of them is that idol that Yui really loved. " </em>
</p><p>“I wonder if Yui knows about this yet…”</p><p>Knowing how obsessive her friend can get about her hobbies and literally anything that piqued her curiosity, she probably does.</p><p>But she decided to snap a quick picture with her phone and forwarded it to Yui, just for the sake of starting a conversation.</p><p>Continuing her journey home, she sighed.</p><p>Walking by herself has always felt lonely. </p><p>She turned to her side, expecting to see her friend there.</p><p>But of course, she’s nowhere to be found. </p><p>She mentally called herself an idiot. What did she expect, for Yui to just show up out of nowhere to accompany her? </p><p>...Yeah, of course that wasn’t going to happen.</p><p>She doesn’t even know why she’s feeling like this in particular. Normally it does feel lonely, but not to this point. </p><p>Though, thinking about it, maybe it’s not just “loneliness” that she’s feeling.</p><p>There’s something else…</p><p>The feeling that something is going to happen, and there’s nothing she can’t do about it. </p><p>Anxiety? Worry? Dread? </p><p>That’s probably the right word for it, she thought. An unexplainable sense of dread. </p><p>...When did she become this dependent on her friend’s presence just to calm herself down?</p><p>She mentally slapped herself once again, and looked up above. </p><p>The gray sky stared back at her. </p><p>“It’s pretty cloudy today, huh…”</p><p>...Even though it shouldn’t be, considering it’s this time of the year. </p><p>Was it going to rain soon or something?</p><p>...No, that can’t be it either.</p><p>As she pondered, she swore she could see green lightning crackle inside the clouds. </p><p>...That’s odd. Must be her imagination, she thought—</p><p>But what she thought was just her imagination at first quickly intensified, turning to a full-blown viridescent thunderstorm in just a matter of seconds.</p><p>At that moment, a green bolt of thunder suddenly struck and hit a car in her vision, setting it on fire. </p><p>The people around her began to panic. The logical thing to do, given what just happened—</p><p>She couldn’t help but stare dumbfounded, though. </p><p>
  <em> “Oh boy, this is definitely not normal…”  </em>
</p><p>Something on the back of her mind is telling her to run for it.</p><p>And with nothing else to trust, she chose to go with that idea.</p>
<hr/><p>Several stacks of paperwork made a “thud!” noise as they were dropped on a wooden desk. </p><p>Yui wiped the sweat off her brows, heaving a sigh. </p><p>“Aaaand that’s the last of them.” A woman beside her spoke, smiling. She had black hair that reached her shoulders, and a white bow tied around the back of her head. </p><p>Yui can’t quite put it into words, but her green-colored eyes and smile always gave her a sense of warmth, a sense of comfort. Like she was the kindest woman in the world, one that you could confide anything to.</p><p>Of course, those two sentences perfectly describe Ms. Kohinata, who was currently acting as their homeroom teacher and the person she’s being an assistant to. </p><p>“Sorry for making you help me with all of this, Yui.” She apologized, organizing the paperwork into a bunch of neater piles. </p><p>“O-Oh, it’s fine! Please don’t worry about me.” Yui put up her hands defensively, trying to shove away her teacher’s worries. “It’s not like I had anything to do after school…”</p><p>Yui’s eyes wandered off, staring out of the window. From there, she could see the rather large track field of Lydian.</p><p>But what caught her eye the most was how… peculiar the sky looked right now. </p><p>“It’s… really cloudy today, isn’t it, Ms. Kohinata? ”</p><p>“Huh? Ah, you’re right…” Her teacher noticed, staring into the window as well. “I swear it was sunny just an hour ago…” </p>
<hr/><p>“Please head to the nearest evacuation point immediately. I repeat—”</p><p>The public announcement speakers repeated the same line in a loop, occasionally followed by the blaring of a siren. </p><p>A certain siren that hasn’t been heard in five whole years. </p><p>...That’s right.</p><p>It’s the Siren that marked the appearance of a “special disaster”.</p><p>
  <b>Noise. </b>
</p><p>Strange, abstractly-shaped creatures that have threatened the lives of human beings for as long as Clara could remember. </p><p>Of course, when faced with such things that she’s powerless against, she had no choice but to trust her instincts and pick flight over fight. </p><p>She doesn’t even know how long she’s been running anymore. Has it been half an hour already? She lost track of time a while ago. </p><p>She doesn’t even know where her feet are taking her. </p><p>But as long as she can get away from those monsters—</p><p>Clara’s speed gradually started slowing down, eventually coming to a complete halt.</p><p>She put her hands on her thighs, her chest heaving up and down as she desperately tried to catch her breath. </p><p>She took a quick glance behind her, trying to get a sense of what’s happening.</p><p>...Ah, it’s total carnage.</p><p>
  <em> Just like back then.  </em>
</p><p>She didn’t know what she expected.</p><p>Buildings that were already damaged looked worse than they did before… Large pieces of rubble were scattered everywhere, presumably fallen off those buildings. </p><p>There were Noise as far as she could see. </p><p>...People turning to dust left and right.</p><p>Strangely, this scenery felt somehow familiar to her.</p><p>After all, if this were five years ago…</p><p>Yeah, it would just be a normal Friday, alright. </p>
<hr/><p>“Noise?!” Ms. Kohinata answered in shock through the phone. “Are you— are you sure you’re not mistaken?”</p><p>Yui could only watch in confusion. </p><p>She couldn’t hear the person on the other end, so she’s been trying to piece together what’s going on through her teacher’s answers and reactions.. </p><p>“...I see. Okay, I get it. I’ll head there in a bit. Don’t be too reckless, okay? ...I love you too.”</p><p> She put away her phone, an anxious expression on her face.</p><p>“So… I assume something bad is happening outside, correct?”</p><p>Yui asked nervously. </p><p>Her teacher sighed.</p><p>“Yes… Just when I thought this was all over with." She muttered the second part of that sentence under her breath. "Yui, you should probably head to the school’s shelter. Please go on ahead without me.”</p><p>“Where are you going, Ms. Kohinata?”</p><p>“There’s… just somewhere I have to be.” </p><p>After grabbing her things, the Lydian teacher left the room with haste, leaving Yui alone.</p><p>“...I hope Clara’s okay…”</p><p>She was about to reach for her phone, when she noticed something… peculiar on her teacher’s desk.</p><p>Something that she left behind.</p><p>Oh, and how it piqued her curiosity. </p>
<hr/><p>Clara stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she heard the sound of tires screeching around her.</p><p>And not long after, a black-colored car came swerving out of the corner, just barely missing her. </p><p>A man wearing a black suit jumped out of the car, clutching something in his hands. He fell to the ground, rolling along it as the car crashed into another one of its kind that had been on fire—</p><p>Clara quickly covered her ears and ducked, trying to shield herself from the explosion. The sound of the blast would have probably shattered her eardrums if she weren’t careful. </p><p>She almost breathed a sigh of relief that she somehow came out of that unscathed. It would be a pretty odd way to lose your life in a car crash during a Noise attack. </p><p>She remembered that another person wasn’t as lucky as her, however, and immediately turned her attention to the man who collapsed not far from her. She quickly approached him—</p><p>“Hey, you okay there?! Wake up!” </p><p>Clara shook his body several times, but there was no response at all. There’s blood trailing along his forehead — he probably hit his head on something during the fall. </p><p>She quickly checked his pulse, and was relieved to see that he’s still alive, at least. </p><p>Taking a second look at him, Clara noticed something off. The overly formal black suit, the neatly combed hair, the black pair of shades he’s got that’s cracked due to the fall…</p><p>Is he some sort of government agent, or something? His get-up reminded her of those classic spy movies… </p><p>“The…”</p><p>The man’s voice snapped Clara back to reality. She blinked a few times, making sure she didn’t just imagine what she just heard.</p><p>“The…?”</p><p>“The… briefcase…” The man uttered, pointing a trembling finger weakly at a black briefcase not far away from the two. It was wide open — the fall probably caused the lock to break open.</p><p>“Do you… Do you want me to grab it for you…?” Clara asked, glancing between the briefcase and the man lying down in front of him.</p><p>“Please…”</p><p>Clara slowly nodded, reluctantly leaving the man’s side. </p><p>She walked over to the briefcase, and bent down to pick it up.</p><p>Inside the case is… some sort of jewelry? It looks like it’s a brace of some sort. She can’t really tell what it’s made out of, but it looks like some kind of red, if not pinkish crystal…</p><p>As if entranced by its shine, her hand started moving on its own.</p><p>Just when her fingers were within reach—</p><p>“Watch out…! Behind…!”</p><p>A warning in the form of the man’s hoarse voice snapped Clara out of her thoughts. She quickly turned to look behind her, seeing a small-sized Noise just a few meters away from her. </p><p>“Uwah!”</p><p>The sight of the monster made Clara yelp in surprise. She stumbled backwards, falling on her behind.</p><p>Unbeknownst to her, her hand had accidentally brushed against the brace. </p><p>Within that instant, a pillar of light beams forth towards the sky, emitted from the center of the brace. It sends out a shockwave, knocking the Noise off its feet and sending it flying back. </p><p>Shocked, Clara turned to look at her hand. The brace suddenly latched onto her wrist, clamping on it tightly.</p><p>“W-What?!” </p><p>Clara reeled back, grabbing the brace with her other hand. She tried to yank it off, but to no avail — the brace was stuck there, no matter how hard she pulled.</p><p>There doesn’t seem to be any unlocking mechanism on it, either.</p><p>“What the hell is this?!” Clara gritted her teeth. First there was the Noise, now this weird thing is stuck on her hand?</p><p>Just how could this day get any weirder?</p><p>Clara turned her attention back to the Noise. It had been knocked back by the blast from earlier, but now it has gotten back up on its feet.</p><p>Slowly, it started to walk towards her.</p><p>...Normally, Clara would run at the first given chance.</p><p>But strangely, she didn’t feel the need to this time.</p><p>It’s weird. It’s like some sort of switch was just flipped inside her. </p><p>Rather, instead of being afraid, she felt… a strange sense of conviction?</p><p>She just knew what to do. She doesn’t know how — it just sort of popped up in her head, like a stream of information being uploaded directly into her brain. </p><p>Without a word, Clara got back on her feet.</p><p>She raised her right arm, displaying the brace towards her adversary. </p><p>With a free finger of her other hand, she tapped against the brace lightly. </p><p>The act caused a ringing sound to resonate, echoing against her surroundings. </p><p>A tune she has never heard of before started filling her head, made up of unknown words that might as well just be gibberish to her. </p><p>But despite all of that, she somehow knew what it all meant.</p><p>And even more importantly, she knew that she had to sing that song, right here and right now.</p><p>Clara opened her lips, the alien lyrics rolling off her tongue as if it’s a lullaby that she knows all too well—</p>
<hr/><p>“Commander, we’ve pinpointed the center of the Noise signals!”</p><p>“Forward the coordinates immediately!”</p><p>“Gungnir and Ichaival — Hibiki Tachibana and Chris Yukine are en route, sir! All three of our Instrument Systems are also good to go!”</p><p>Hard at work, the furious typing noises the personnels made filled the mission control room they were in.</p><p>Standing in the center on an elevated platform was a tall, muscular man with red spiky hair. His golden eyes carefully scanned what the various display monitors are now showing. His body was as large as his presence — there’s no doubt that this man is a leader or some sort. </p><p>“Good grief… Just when I thought I could finally retire in peace.” </p><p>The door behind them suddenly slid open—</p><p>“Sorry I’m late!”</p><p>A black-haired woman came running into the room, looking like she had just run a marathon. Fixing the ribbon on the back of her head, Ms. Kohinata quickly approached the two.</p><p>“Took you long enough. What happened?” The older man asked. </p><p>“Ah… Sorry, Genjuro-san, I think I’ve misplaced my—”</p><p>“N-No way… C-Commander! We’re picking up an unidentified Aufwachen waveform…!” One of the personnel suddenly shouted, interrupting what she was about to say. </p><p>“What?! Is it a new Symphogear user?” Genjuro yelled in surprise.</p><p>“No… It’s similar, but it’s not coming from a Symphogear, it’s something else!”</p><p>A flashing text suddenly appeared on the largest monitor in the room. What it said was foreign to everybody in the room except for Genjuro himself. </p><p>“Impossible… So this is where you were hiding it, huh?”</p><p>His grip on the railings tightened as the name came to his mind. He muttered under his breath, a name of someone close to him, yet one he’d never thought he would say again.</p><p>“Ryoko…”  </p>
<hr/><p>“Haaah!” </p><p>Clara raised the blade over her head, before swinging it down to cut the Noise in half in one swift movement. She stabbed the rather large, mechanical broadsword into the ground, using it to support herself as she tried to catch her breath. </p><p>The girl looked at herself, now clad in some sort of armor that she’s unsure where she got it from. All she knows is that it just appeared on her suddenly—</p><p>Various machine-like constructs covered her body, but mostly her arms and legs. They aren’t particularly bulky, Clara noted, as they were particularly easy to move in, though they do weight way less than she expected. Her torso, oddly, is the least protected part, but the cloth-like material covering it does seem thick and durable. </p><p>...It’s rather tight, but her chest wasn’t that particularly big to begin with, so it doesn’t really bother her. </p><p>There were various glowing parts through her armor, emitting a faint light pink light, but she can’t figure out what they signify for the life of her. </p><p>...The ones on her arm guards do make it resemble a dragon’s face somewhat, though. </p><p>Or maybe that’s just her imagination. </p><p>Her weapon, though, is what interests her the most. Her eyes wander to the sword, sticking out of the ground as if waiting for a chosen one to pull it out. It’s a broadsword, and its appearance matches. The blade is large and long, making the hilt look tiny in comparison, though it’s big enough to be held with two hands. It has the same look as her armor, in the sense that it seems very… high-tech, something out of this world. Its surface is smooth, sleek, yet its tip is no doubt sharp since it was able to stab through concrete easily. Several glowing lines ran along the weapon as well, mirroring what she’s currently wearing. </p><p>It’s definitely not light, but not as heavy as she was expecting it to be.</p><p>...Moreover, this sword can somehow cut through Noise in one hit and kill them.</p><p>It looks and feels like something out of a video game, and she’d be lying to herself if she said she didn’t find it super cool. </p><p>Clara lifted up the sword, trying to sheathe it into the scabbard on her back. After fumbling a few times and accidentally poking herself in the back, she decided to give up and just leave the sword over there. </p><p>She ran over to the man from earlier, making sure that he’s okay. She put two of her fingers on the side of his neck, but the thick gloves make it hard for her to feel anything. </p><p>“Dammit, how do I remove this thing…”</p><p>Frustrated, she put her hand above his chest instead. It’s still rising up and down — good, he’s still breathing, meaning that he’s probably still alive.</p><p>Clara wasn’t a doctor, nor was she particularly fond of biology to begin with. </p><p>Still, any reasonable person would know that this person needed medical attention fast. She stood up, looking around her. </p><p>...The city feels like a ghost town now.</p><p>But the amount of Noise has decreased, from what she’s seen, and most of the people are probably safe in a nearby shelter. </p><p>...For now, taking him to an evacuation point nearby would be the best choice, she thought. She doubts the hospital will be fully functional so soon after a disaster, anyway. </p><p>As Clara pondered about it, a nearby digital billboard suddenly flickered to life, catching her attention—</p><p>A cloaked figure came into view, their face shrouded by the dark yellow hood they’re wearing. </p><p>...Is it dark yellow? At least she thinks so; the lighting in the video is a bit weird. The static-like distortion all over the screen doesn’t really help either...</p><p>The figure started to speak—</p><p>
  <em> “Greetings, those who reside in this world… We have an unfortunate announcement for you all.” </em>
</p><p>The voice sounded odd. She can’t really put a finger on it, but it’s most likely to disguise their identity…?</p><p>
  <em> “At this rate, if nothing changes, the only future left for this world is complete destruction.”  </em>
</p><p>...At this rate? What are they even talking about? Did she miss a few minutes of the broadcast or something?</p><p>
  <em> “However, fear not, for we have a way to stop such a thing from occurring.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “For your own good, please do not resist us, lest you pave a path towards inevitable doom yourself.”  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “The only path to salvation from terrible chaos is through us, the Gates of Bifrost.”  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “And keep in mind — The Symphogears are not heroes on the side of justice.” </em>
</p><p>—The screen turned back to pitch black. </p><p>“...The hell was that supposed to mean?!”</p><p>Clara clicked her tongue. </p><p>First a Noise attack, and now some weird cult had hijacked the nation’s entire broadcast?! </p><p>Before she could even think about it for a little bit more, a stern warning coming from behind snapped her out of her thoughts—</p><p>“Freeze, put your hands up!”</p><p>Clara’s eyes went wide in surprise, and she slowly turned around while complying. </p><p>Meeting her gaze is a woman, clad in red armor — something that looks similar to what she’s wearing right now. </p><p>In her hand is a gun— a red pistol of some sort, its barrel aimed straight at Clara. </p><p>There’s no hesitation in her face, her voice, or her grip on the weapon—</p><p>Clara mentally cusses at whatever force decided this turn of events.</p><p>Great, on top of everything that just happened, now someone is pointing a gun at her. </p><p>Come on, what the hell did she do to deserve this? </p><p>...Still, she’s got a feeling that if she messes this up somehow, she’ll definitely get hurt. </p><p>“Put your hands up!”</p><p>Valuing her life, Clara had no choice but to do as she was told. </p><p>The air was tense. Gripping, even.</p><p>Clara’s eyes darted back and forth, between the woman pointing a gun at her and the weapon she placed on the ground, not far from where she was standing. </p><p>Is there any chance for her to fight back or run? She tried to imagine several scenarios in her head, but nothing came to mind. </p><p>“Hey, hey, what did we say about ‘weapons first, talk later’, Chris-chan?”</p><p>The voice caused both of them to look up as an orange blur descended from the air. Yet another brightly-colored figure landed across them, a white scarf flowing from her back.</p><p>The woman in red sighed, lowering her weapon.</p><p>Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Clara dropped her arms and sprinted to where she left her blade. Pulling it out of the concrete in one swift motion, she then pointed the tip at the two people in front of her—</p><p>“You…!”</p><p>“Whoa, whoa, let’s calm down for a bit.” The girl wearing orange armor stepped forward, signaling her comrade to settle down. “Why don’t we talk this out first?”</p><p>“Talk it out?! Your friend there pointed her gun first at me!” Clara’s grip on the handle tightened, as she took a step backwards. </p><p>The two unknown figures looked at each other, then sighed. “Look, I know you must be very confused right now — Trust me, I’ve been there. <em> We’ve </em>been there. Just give us a chance and listen, okay? We don’t mean any harm, I swear.”</p><p>The taller, scarf-wearing girl spoke gently as she put her hands up, as if to signal that she really does mean what she says. </p><p><em> Big words coming from the friend of someone who almost shot me </em>, Clara thought. </p><p>Still, she doesn’t sense any hostility in her voice, so maybe she can trust them for a bit…</p><p>“...Fine.”</p><p>Clara lowered her blade. </p><p>“Attagirl. Alright, can you tell me about what happened here? What’s your name?” </p><p>“...What’s <em> yours </em>?” </p><p>“This girl…!” </p><p>“It’s fine. I’m Hibiki Tachibana, and my friend here is Chris Yukine. We’re Symphogears from S.O.N.G…. Are you using a Symphogear too?”</p><p>Symphogears? </p><p>Clara had heard that term before. Some sort of top secret government weapons that ultimately put an end to the Yggdrasil Incident, if she remembers correctly? </p><p>...Ah, of course. Just in her luck to run not into one, but two in the span of 5 minutes, huh?</p><p>
  <em> "Though, there was a Noise attack out of nowhere, so I guess it makes sense…" </em>
</p><p>“Wait, if Symphogears are here, does that mean the Noise are taken care of?”</p><p>“For now, it seems that way, yes.” </p><p>Clara could finally feel her chest lightening as she breathed a sigh of relief.</p><p>At least Yui is safe… most likely. </p><p>“Oh right, there’s probably someone who needs help more than me, so—” Clara gestured to the man nearby them, almost hidden by the rubble. Hibiki noticed and quickly ran over to the man’s side. She knelt down, before checking to make sure he’s okay.</p><p>“Good, he’s alive… Chris-chan, I’m going to get him some help, so I’ll leave the rest to you!” </p><p>Holding his unconscious body in her arms, Hibiki leaped up into the sky, and soon she disappeared from view.</p><p>“Good grief.” Chris shook her head, before turning to face where Clara was. “Alright, you’re coming with me— Huh?” </p><p>Chris looked around, but noticed that she was now all alone. The only trace of the girl she was searching for is a large broadsword dropped carelessly on the ground… which vanished into glittering dusts of light seconds later.</p><p>Ah, goddammit.</p><p>Chris Yukine cursed under her breath.</p><p>She’s been had. </p>
<hr/><p>The door to Clara’s apartment burst open as she sluggishly entered her own room. The plain-colored walls were the first thing that greeted her, but after all that she had to go through today, such a familiar sight did nothing but calm down her nerves. </p><p>She’s unsure how, but the armor she was wearing also suddenly disengaged while she was on the way here. Maybe the brace ran out of juice? Whatever, she doesn’t care about the how or why.</p><p>
  <em> “But still… Symphogears, huh?” </em>
</p><p>The thought wouldn’t leave her mind. </p><p>
  <em> “And what’s more… The Symphogears not being on the side of justice or whatever, what the heck does that mean?” </em>
</p><p>Clara let out a groan in frustration, turning in her bed. She grabbed a pillow from the side, hugging it close to her chest.</p><p>Whatever, she’ll leave the hard thinking later for now. </p><p>She’s tired, and the only thing her body is telling her to do is to get some rest. She can think about it after she’s got some sleep. </p><p>...Actually, she’s not even  sure if the early morning is enough time to think it over. </p><p>Maybe she’ll just call in sick tomorrow. </p><p>Hey, at least she managed to avoid getting arrested by some top-secret-weapons-using government officials or whatever today, so that’s a plus. </p>
<hr/><p>Meanwhile...</p><p>“It seems normal Noise are not nearly enough after all. As much as I hate the loss of human lives, I’m afraid the circumstances are forcing my hand.”</p><p>An odd, unknown voice reverberated across a dimly lit room. Eight people were present, seated in a round table, and they seemed to be holding a conference of some sort. </p><p>“Tch.” A woman in a grey hoodie clicked her tongue. “So we’re still resorting to that in the end, huh? Those... Humanoise things.”</p><p>“...Yes, unfortunately. I shall prepare the necessary equipment for all of you immediately. Or do you have any objections against this decision, Fist of Odin?”</p><p>“...Nah. Not like I’m obligated to give a shit about the people who live in this world anyway. The sooner we get this done, the better.”</p><p>After tapping her finger against the table restlessly for a while, she suddenly stood up and headed for the exit.</p><p>“Oh? And just where do you think you’re going?” Another woman in the room spoke up, clad in a pink robe-like veil that covered her head — akin to a priestess. Her physique indicated that she was younger than the others, but the weight in her voice signified a wisdom beyond what her appearance would suggest. A taller, blonde girl stood still beside her, almost just like a bodyguard would. </p><p>“Shut it, you witch. I’m just going for a walk. If you’ve got a problem with it, I’ll happily oblige with my fists.”</p><p>“Oh-ho. And accelerate the rate at which you’re dying? I would have nothing to gain from that, and I am willing to bet the same thing goes for you.”  </p><p>"You <em>really</em> piss me off, you know that?" The woman rolled her orange-colored eyes, before pulling up the hoodie over her head. </p><p>And with that, she left the room, leaving the remaining seven members behind. </p><p>The unknown voice spoke once again.</p><p>“...Well then, I suppose this is where we end our meeting for today.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Anyway, here’s today’s Keyword! Of course, it was only mentioned this time, but I’ll show it off in the near future. Hopefully. </p><p>Instrument System: As the Symphogears were destroyed following the end of the Yggdrasil Incident, whatever left of the original equipment was salvaged and rebuilt to counter new threats or disasters. However, as a result, their performance was much weaker compared to the originals. This led to the development of the Instrument System, a way for S.O.N.G. to directly assist the Wielders on the battlefield by sending them support equipment as the situation calls for it. What the Symphogears now lack in firepower or speed is made up for by the versatility of the Instrument System, allowing for a wide variety of attacks and other functions to help them turn the tide.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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